Six children endangered in drunken crash

A Camdenton man is facing felony assault/operating a vehicle while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child after hitting a tree and fleeing to his nearby home.

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The Lake News Online

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Posted Jul. 2, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Updated Jul 2, 2013 at 4:02 PM

Posted Jul. 2, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Updated Jul 2, 2013 at 4:02 PM

Camdenton

A Camdenton man is facing felony assault/operating a vehicle while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child after hitting a tree and fleeing to his nearby home.

The man's blood alcohol level shortly after the accident was more than three times the legal limit of .08 for driving while intoxicated.

The Missouri Highway Patrol reported Matthew J. Richards, 34, of Camdenton, was the driver of a vehicle that ran off the right side of the road and struck a tree on Mayfair Drive in Camelot Estates. Matthews allegedly fled from the scene of the accident. He was found at his nearby home after being identified as the owner of the wrecked car.

Richards had six children, ranging in age from four to 10 years of age in the vehicle when the wreck occurred. One of the children, identified as a nine-year-old girl was taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment of a broken arm.

According to court documents, when Richards was located, he showed signs of being intoxicated. A cooler of "intoxicants" was found inside his vehicle. The responding officer reported Richards speech was slurred and he swayed while standing. After failing three field sobriety tests, a breath sample taken showed Richards had a blood alcohol level of .256 percent.

Bond was denied. Richards was arraigned in Camden County Associate Court on July 2.